If you work a regular 9 to 5, you spend on average eight or more hours at your desk. Odd as it may sound, a dangerous accident can happen to you while you're sitting down working.

For this reason, it's important to understand the aspects of desk safety.

Work area safety protects your physical and financial well-being. Some office injuries debilitate workers to the point they're unable to return to normal activities. That means they can't work or do the things outside of work they enjoy doing.

Plus, if an office injury ends with a permanent disability, a worker's forced to live off a lesser salary. The average monthly disability check is $1,258. That's nothing compared to $65k a year—if that was the regular salary.

Sitting or standing still at your desk requires the need to protect your body from repetitive stress injury and related problems. Keep reading to learn more here about desk safety.

Desk Safety Starts With Your Chair

Common deck injuries start with the chair you sit in every day. You may not fall out of it, but it can cause injury to your spine unawares.

If the chair you sit in doesn't offer spine support, poor posture is inevitable. Poor posture stresses the base of the spine—soft tissues and joints. This leads to pain.

Make sure the chair you sit in has adequate support. Inspect the base of the chair to ensure it's leveled with enough castors to prevent tipping. When you sit down, adjust the seat to keep your thighs parallel to the floor.

If the chair isn't adjustable, get a new one. Inspect the back and armrests. Adjust the backrest to protect your lower back. Never raise the armrests so high that they force your shoulders to shrug.

Sitting with shrugged shoulders all day causes tiredness and fatigue to your muscles and body.

Work Area Space

A shoebox is no place to work. It also won't hold a person or necessities needed to perform productive work.

Make sure your work area has enough space for you to perform your job.

The desk needs enough width to arrange a computer with a keyboard, file trays, and minor essentials. There's no need to put a staple or calculator in the drawer when you have a large enough desk surface.

You should also be able to fit a desk mat and chair underneath the desk. Standing and sitting room is also necessary for safe and productive desk conditions.

Posture and Cleanliness

Sitting with the right posture promotes the reduction of lower back pain. It also prevents other health-related problems.

Don't sit in the same position for long periods of time. Avoid sitting far away from your desk that you're forced to lean. Keep all the work items you used every day within reach.

Also, remember your desk area isn't a closet. Don't put your purse on the floor or your garbage in a spot that causes you to trip and fall. Lidless containers are disasters waiting to happen.

Drink out of a cup with a lid and make sure all computer cords are neatly out of the way. Keep your area clean.

Stay Safe at Work

Desk safety starts and ends with you. Make smart decisions about what goes on in your work area. Stay organized and productive in your work area.

Need help with organizing office safety? Take part in our safety training and learn how to protect workers in your office.